One Foot behind the Other
by Sakura123
Summary: Eleven snippets of Elena Fisher and Nathan Drake's relationship during, before and after Drake's Fortune and Among Thieves. COMPLETE.
1. Back on my Feet

**One foot behind the Other**

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**Title:** **One foot behind the Other**

**Prompt:** None

**Summary:** Elena and Nate's relationship during, before and after Drake's Fortune and Among Thieves.

**Author:** Sakura123 (weber_dubois22)

**Rating:** T

**Word Count:**

**Chapters:** 1/11

**Character(s):** Elena Fisher; Nathan Drake; Sully; Chloe; Jeff

**Pairing(s):** Nate/Elena; Chloe/Nate (mild)

**Spoilers/Warnings:** Spoilers for _Drakes Fortune_ and _Among Thieves_.

**Authors Note:** The following are a bunch of short stories I wrote for a "ficmix" theme challenge , which, unfortunately I never got to enter because of writer's block (I managed to finish the stories, but it was well past the due date) which lasted for quite awhile. I figured I would post them on their own separately without the music attached to it, see how it would do.

* * *

**One: Back of my Feet**

* * *

It been roughly God-knows-how-long since both of them had crashed on the island. God-knows-how-long since she found herself alone, traveling around the massive fort ---crawling with pirates---, busted Drake out of prison, plowed through miles of tropical forest in a jeep and was driven backward off a cliff into the water below. There were a multitude of ways Elena wanted to kill Drake for putting her heart through all this unnecessary stress, but it wasn't like she hadn't asked for it when she followed him and Sully.

After a trip or two around the river wild, they finally managed to find their way back to land. Ten minutes hadn't even passed before they were set-upon by pirates. Again. "Great more of Eddie's goons. This should be exciting," Nate grumbled, running for cover. Elena found her cover in the form of large tree, back pressed against the bark, she pulled her gun from her waistband and prepared for the firefight.

There was nothing relatively "exciting" about their current situation, Elena thought ducking another round of bullets. Chunks of bark splintered and broke away from the tree she was currently taking cover behind. Of course, given her profession, Elena wasn't foreign to the concept of being shot at, her producers usually gave her an earful for pulling tricks like venturing into some war-torn area, just to get her story. (It wasn't her fault lesser-known historical landmarks happened to be on frequented trails of thugs or other unsavory folk).

They stopped complaining so frequently though when the ratings went were higher than they'd been since the show premiered on the National Geographic channel. In the corner of her eye she could see Drake crouched behind a overturned pillar, reloading the AK-47 he grabbed off one of the [dead] pirates. As if he had all the time in the world, Nate flashed her a grin. _What the hell, Drake?_ Was what she was really thinking, but Elena found herself smiling -- uneasily -- in return.

The shooting on her side alleviated long enough for her to get two shots in, her target went down with a cry, the pirate fell almost gracefully off the cliff side and hit the ground. When she ducked behind her cover again, one glance over to where Drake was revealed that he was no longer taking cover. Once glance at the surrounding greenery assuaged the fear that he'd been shot down, instead when she peeked around the other side of the tree, she saw he was running through the gunfire like a madman, taking down pirates as he zigzagged through the tumultuous environment. _That crazy son of a bitch!_

The chaos of gunfire and scattered grunts of pain left her partially confused as to what was going on beyond her protection; Was Drake being riddled with holes, or was it the other way around? Elena assumed the latter, the gunfire was becoming less dominant. Checking her gun, Elena stepped out from behind her cover prepared to fire, she zeroed in on the final pirate atop the cliff and pulled the trigger.

In the blink of an eye, Elena watched the man go down before her bullet even reached him, bewildered Elena looked down at her gun; the chamber was empty, she was pretty sure she pulled the trigger. Nate approached her from the left, checking over his pistol. "Okay, I think that was the last of them," He huffed.

"Yeah, maybe," Elena groaned, tossing the gun aside. He paused, taking a moment to study Elena's spry figure. She was shaking from head to toe, an obvious sign that the adrenaline pumping through her system was beginning to wane. Sporting another grin, he nudged her in the ribs. Elena, currently hunched over with her hands on her knees, turned her head to regard the man. "Didja see me nail that guy? Huh? I betcha you thought you hit him." If this were a video game, Elena would be quick to jest with him and foreign denial, but given the circumstances, she just rolled her eyes. "Sure I did, cowboy. Your a regular Quigley," She said, standing back up.

"'A regular Quigley?'" Nate repeated. "What does that even mean?"

"What, you've never seen _Quigley Down under?_ Tom Selleck, Alan Rickman? Matthew Quigley was a sharp shooter," She chuckled. Nate continued to look confused; The actors he recognized, the supposed movie title, he did not. The surrounding forest had grown quiet again, Elena didn't like quiet around here.

Nate seemed to pick up on what she was thinking and nudged her arm. "C'mon, we've gotta get to that port," He said. Elena nodded breathlessly, following after the adventurer as he sprinted across the grass toward the rope dangling from the cliff side.


	2. Engines

**Two: Engines**

_

* * *

_

Elena braced herself as the helicopter spun out of control. Both she and Navarro were tossed about like rag dolls inside the small cabin. The dead pilot slouched over the controls, was pretty much the entire reason for their current predicament. Okay, maybe not the entire reason, She thought to herself. Stunts like that always worked in the movies (or Nate), why she thought it would work out great for her, of all people, was beyond her. The outside was a swirl of colors and a virtually unknown environment, Elena couldn't make out anything except the pink and red sunset, which created a rather ominous atmosphere. Lifting her legs up, she shoved off Navarro's and was thrown against the edge of the open doorway.

"Oh shit!" She cried as she body slipped out of the helicopter. For whatever reason, Navarro actually reached out and grabbed her by the waistband, Elena went out as far as she ever wanted in a crashing vehicle. She could the smoke billowing out from the rotor and the water below racing closer and closer toward them. Oh, crap, oh crap, oh crap! It was the last thing she remembered before the helicopter hit the deck of the boat.

The first thing she felt when consciousness came calling, were a pair of strong hands hoisting her out of the rubble. Oh my word, I survived that? Was all she could think as a voiced called out to her. "Elena, ...Oh God... Elena," Oh, she knew that voice from anywhere. Nathan Drake, supposed descendant of Sir Francis Drake. Forcing her eyes to open, she managed murmur something in response to his "Are you okay, can you stand?" Her entire body felt like a ton a bricks as Nathan dragged her out of the ruined helicopter and onto her feet. She felt herself stumble sideways, but Nathan's hand was always there to keep her from falling over. His hand cupped the side of her face, Elena was pleasantly surprised by the look of absolute terror on his face as he continued to ask about her well being.

She smiled stupidly at him, giddy from his proximity. It all ended, however, when her eyes left his and saw Navarro picking himself off the ground with the aid of his shotgun. "Oh... N-Nate!" Nathan turned in response to her outburst, he zeroed in on the cause of her panic. Elena watched his eyes dart around the area of the ship, in search of something she couldn't see. Sully? She thought.

"Alright, step back," He moved her aside and threw all his weight against the helicopter. For a second she was baffled, what the hell was he up to? The helicopter tumbled off the side of the boat, Elena didn't see what happened until Nate had her secure in his arms again. "Adios, asshole," Was all Nate said to merc. Navarro looked on in confusion, then his gaze --- plus Elena's --- traveled down to the deck. The rope moved like a snake in attack mode, slithering over the edge of the boat. Oh! Elena watched the realization hit Navarro's face a second too late, his legs were thrown out from under him and he was dragged off the boat, followed by the cursed statue of El Dorado.

Elena almost wished for a second that she felt bad for the man, but not a shred of remorse hit her as things began to quiet down. When all was said and done, Elena was just glad to be alive. Regretful over the loss of her camera, but maybe a little gladder that she managed to retrieve the ring Nate had abandoned at the final resting place of Francis Drake.

"...Elena?" The blonde looked up the ocean toward Nate, he stood just a few inches away from where she sat. His fingers danced idly over a coin in his hand from his share of the pirate's booty. It was the first time since she woke up that she got a good look at him; He was covered head to toe in drying mud, rain and the fowl smell of the jungle. She probably didn't smell any better. Sitting up a little straighter, she tucked the loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, what's up?" She asked.

Nate gave her something of a half shrug, he glanced slightly in the other direction as he approached her. He sat next to her on the bench with a groan, Elena could've sworn she saw dust dance off his pants just then. "Nothin', I was just wondering if, maybe... you'd want a share of this?" He raised his hand to her eye level, allowing her to take in the beautiful coin in his hand.

Elena marveled at endless paths that all came together to create a elaborate design on the face of the coin. She was tempted, God knows she was, but it didn't feel right to take something he probably deserved more than she did. "Nah, you keep it," Elena wrapped her fingers around his hand lowered it to his lap. "It's yours. Well, your's and Sully's."

"Damn straight," Sully's voice drifted out from the behind the cockpit of the little chug-boat.

Nate, however, didn't look so certain. "You sure about this? I mean, it's a hellva lot of money---"

"Yes, Nate. I'm perfectly comfortable with "no". I don't want your gold," Elena reassured. "If you wanna do something nice for me, buy me another camera."

"Again with the camera," He sighed, feigning annoyance.

"Yes, the camera. The camera everyday until I get a new one," Said Elena.

"Oy vey."


	3. Good to be Home

**Three: Good to be Home**

* * *

Six months with stuck Harry Flynn in Cambodia, was six months too long, Drake thought to himself. His friend had contacted him about locating a piece of a artifact known as "The triangle of light", for some wealthy noblewoman in London, England. Drake, who'd spent months without a good hunt, and no word from Sully on any sweet deals, jumped at the chance to get out and travel again. He was quick to let Elena know where he was going, even invited her to come along, knowing how much she enjoyed using her new camera to film his lower-key adventures. Unfortunately, she declined the offer. "I'm kinda busy with covering something other than your ass," She joked, hunched over her work desk.

He was disappointed, but he managed to get over it. Their clientele, the very lovely Amanda Peters, provided them with enough info on the triangle for them to figure out the rest. Drake did most of the figuring while Flynn was more than happy to help with the more physical aspects of the mystery. The man wasn't stupid, there were times that Flynn managed to figure something out before Drake did. Other times, Nate found himself wondering why exactly Flynn gotten himself involved with treasure hunting to begin with. He obviously took no pleasure in the discovery of it all. Oh, that's right, money. Drake would lying, if he said that money wasn't one motivation of his. It never outweighed the thrill of the hunt though.

Sticking his key into the keyhole, Drake unlocked the door of his and Elena's apartment and stepped inside. The place was just as he remembered leaving it six months ago, not a thing was out of place. Even Elena's stack of paper, which usually found its way all over the tiny living room, remained in the corner she called her workspace. Confused, Nate tossed his bag and coat aside, they tumbled across the floor like the discarded items they were. "Lucy, I'm home!" Nathan called into the lofty Los Angles apartment. There was a thump above him, followed by a string of curses. No wonder it'd been so quiet, Elena had been sleeping. Bending over, Nate busied himself with removing the shoes from his feet, the thumping continued above him. What on earth could she be doing? "Lena?" He called again.

"Coming, coming," Came the distracted reply.

"Oakie-dokey," He muttered himself. Proceeding over to the sink, Drake proceeded with washing his hands, his parched throat was screaming for a beer now. Drying his hands on his shirt, Nate approached the fridge like a man on a mission. A blast of cool air hit him when he opened the fridge, he searched the shelves high and low for the beer he stashed in the back. While it was only reasonable to think that Elena had snatched for herself, Nate trusted his girlfriend not to touch anything he labeled with a sharpie.

Yes, he was that anal when it came to his food and beverages. Sully had a bad habit of drinking the last of it whenever he visited and it was all Drake could do not to snap at his friend. Pushing the produce aside, Drake spotted the familiar "Moody Hook" label hiding behind a jar of relish and grinned. He reached inside, making it his business to ascertain his beverage when something started crawling up his back.

If it was humanly possible, he actually screamed when he finally acknowledged the creepy-crawly sensation. His head collided with the ceiling of the fridge, the contents inside shook like they'd been hit by a tremor. Nate backed out of the refrigerator and proceeded reach behind him to rid his back of the spider. Instead of a spider, however, he found himself face to face with Elena, beside herself with laughter.

"Real cute, Elena," He grumbled, pride bruised.

Elena continued to smile innocently at her boyfriend. "I thought it was," She replied with a shrug. Shutting the fridge, Nate headed over to the couch, eyeing Elena along the way. Elena followed behind, seemingly unaffected by his sudden change in mood. He sat in the middle, arms draped over the top and leaned into the cushions with a sigh. Elena joined him, her sigh was equally as exhausted, if not more. Propping his head against the palm of his right hand, Nate used his foot to nudge her bare one. "So, how were things while I was gone?" He said. "You finish that big thing?"

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about that thing more worthy than your ass?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way, but, yes, that would be the one," He replied with a nod.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Elena readjusted herself in the chair so that her legs were hanging over the arm of the chair and her head was lying on Nate's lap. "Brahms liked my report, he liked it a lot," She said, a bit absent mindedly. Nate nodded his head with anticipation, waiting for her to continue on, she seemed more interested in the buttons on his grungy shirt though. Like he always did, Nathan took notice of how Elena's hair, shorter than he would've perceived it to be whenever she had it up, just seemed to fan out around her head like one of those Japanese fans. Moving his left arm from the top of the couch, he played with the ends of her hair.

"...And?"

Elena glanced away from his shirt, blinking owlishly. "What? And what?"

"The report, Elena," He laughed. "You said Brahms liked it, but...," He gestured dramatically with his hand. Elena made a small 'o' with her mouth and sat upright, Drake watched her jog over to her workplace, a frown on his face. Elena could be such a scatter brain sometimes, he thought. Elena spent a good two minutes muttering under her breath as she searched through the stack of paper on the desk, Nathan was half-tempted to go back over to the fridge to retrieve his beer when a triumphant cry from across the room brought his attention back to Elena.

She spun on one heel with a flourish, clasped in her hand was badge of some sort. When she didn't move from her spot, Nate got the message and stood up, he crossed the space between them in a few long strides and focused his attention on the badge. The first thing that caught his eye was the tiny picture of Elena, surprised and caught in mid-speech. "Could you read any slower, Nate?"

Nate shot his girlfriend a bit of annoyed look. "Well, If you'd just hold the thing still---"

"I got a promotion, Nate," She clarified, waving the badge around. Nathan stared for about a second before realizing what the name badge in her hand meant. "Oh my God, Elena, That's great!"

"I know, right?" Elena's arms were suddenly wrapped around his neck, Nate mimicked her movement and enveloped her in a enthusiastic hug. He spun her about, amazed by how light she was. His half twirl came to a abrupt halt at the first sign of dizziness, setting Elena on the ground, he leaned against her slightly in order to keep his balance. Elena didn't seem to mind though. Pressing his forehead against hers, he smiled at her giddy expression. "I missed you, I missed you a lot," She admitted with a sigh. "It's no fun around here without you."

Nate pressed a kiss against the side of her mouth. "The feeling's mutual."

"So what about you? How'd your thing in Cambodia go?"

"Uh---" Nate paused to throw a weary glance over at his discarded backpack, Elena started to follow his line of his sight when he stood upright, effectively blocking her view. "It went---" He bent over, throwing Elena's arm over his shoulder and his arm behind her legs.

Elena held her breath when her feet were swept off the ground, Nate held her in his arms bridal-style, grinning. "It went great. I managed to find what I was looking for and didn't get shot at."

Elena gave him a look. "Really? No one shot you?"

Nathan paused. "Alright, maybe once or twice."


	4. Disagreements

**Four: Disagreements**

* * *

Nathan stood at the head of their bed with his arms folded, his mood as fowl as they came. Standing across from him, Elena stood at the threshold of their closet, tossing every article clothing that belonged to her, onto the bed. She'd been giving him the silent treatment since this morning, never once answering any of his questions --- not even for something like where he misplaced his car keys. Part of him wanted to apologize for being an ass about the entire situation, but his pride wouldn't allow it; What did Elena know, anyway? It wasn't like what he asking was a impossible request, it was a fairly simple one. But, Elena reacted like he'd just stolen her passport and tossed it into the fireplace. Slowly he averted his gaze downward to observe her backside. Even when she was angry with him, Nate found comfort in the fact that he could always---

"Stop staring at my ass, Drake," Elena's voice broke the silence, startling the man out his fantasy. He winced at the use of his last name, she only did that when she was --- well, he already knew she was pissed with him. It was nothin' he couldn't fix though, right? "You talkin' to me, now?" He inquired. Elena tossed her heels onto the bed with her pile of clothes, she shot him a simmering glare before returning to her raid of the closet. Deciding to break his unconscious oath to give her space, Nathan crossed the short distance of their compact bedroom and attempted to corner her in the closet. Unfortunately, Elena turned just as he closing the gap between them. Extending her arm, she pushed him away and moved toward the bed.

"Elena, will you just stop for a second---"

"Why? So you can tell me that what I'm doing is stupid?" Elena snapped, kneeling down. She reached under the bed and pulled out her suitcase, with a angry grunt she slammed it down on the bed, right on Nate's pillow. Nate didn't even notice, he was more focused on the fact that she had bought that ugly brown suitcase she'd been staring at all last month when she dragged him out to the mall. He hated malls, he couldn't see why Elena found the place such an exciting environment. It was too crowded for his liking and more often than not, kids were always tossing shit at him. Elena started to reach for her blouse when Nathan snatched it off the bed, she gave him a look that clearly indicated that she was going to punch him. "Elena, your being ---" He paused, backing away from that line of thought. "---I just don't think that this is such a good idea, that's all."

"I've done this plenty of times before, Drake," Elena said, reaching for her blouse. Nate backed away, moving his arms out of her reach. "It's no different from what happened with Navarro and Roman. Give me my shirt!"

"No, what your about to do is completely different from what happened with Navarro and Roman," Nate argued. "I had no idea that was going to happen, what your doing is intentional." As Nate spoke, he continued to evade Elena's attempts to reclaim her blouse from his possession, leading her around the room over to his side of the bed. Despite of their situation, it was amusing to see Elena trying to snatch her shirt from him, she was acting like a fussy kid. The next thing he knew, Elena's hand had delivered a hard slap to the side of his arm, Nate flinched allowing her the chance to take hold of her blouse. "Elena, what the hell?!" He exclaimed, rubbing his arm.

"So what are you saying?" Elena started, ignoring his discomfort. "It's suddenly not okay for me go covering a story in Russia because you think its dangerous?"

"Yes and no," Nate answered.

"Well, which one!" Elena cried, moving back to her side of the bed. She tossed the blouse into the suitcase and proceeded to the same with her other articles of clothing, beyond caring where they landed inside.

"No, I don't think you covering in Russia is dangerous because I think so. Yes, I think it's dangerous for you to go, because it is," Nathan clarified, moving toward her again. "This guy, Pierce, he's not someone you want to intentionally piss off."

"I don't plan on pissing Jonathan Pierce off, Nate. He wouldn't even be aware that Jeffrey and I would be tracking him," Elena shut her suitcase, it closed halfway. Nathan pressed one hand down on the top of the suitcase, pushing it down far enough to give Elena a chance to lock the buckles in place. The ghost of appreciation crossed the young woman's face, but vanished as soon as it appeared. She grabbed the handle and prepared to pick it up, Nathan, however, wouldn't have it. He used the weight of his upper body to keep the suitcase on the bed, Elena tugged it once before giving up. "Nathan---"

"Elena, you really don't think this guy is naive enough that he doesn't know when he's being tracked by the press or some self-righteous journalist, trying to air his dirty laundry?" Nathan asked. "Hell, or even who comes or goes in that country?"

"No. No, I'm not, Nate," She said. "I can handle myself if things get dicey---"

"I know you can, I'm not saying you can't."

"So, what is it that's really bothering you? Jonathan Pierce wouldn't happen to be someone you stole from, would he Nate?" The treasure hunter started to speak, his tongue stumbled over whatever he intended to say to her next. The room lapsed into silence for a moment. "Not exactly," He answered, finally, looking uncomfortable. Elena folded her arms across her chest in disbelief, Nate's guilty-as-charged expression was all she needed to tell her that he crossed paths with the Russian arms dealer. Letting go of her suitcase, Elena headed out of the bedroom. Heaving out a frustrated sigh, Nate followed after her down to the first floor. "Elena, please, would you stop being difficult---"

"Nathan, I don't want to talk about this right now," Elena interjected. Nathan watched as she grabbed her bomber jacket off the couch where she'd tossed it after coming from work. In the middle of the floor, Nate's maps --- held open by various books serving as paperweights --- were spread out across the floor, worn from years of handling. That's where he had been when Elena skipped down the stairs, and told him about the assignment Brahms had given her, earlier that morning. Stepping over his compass, Nathan hurried over to Elena's side, she was already at the door, ready to leave the apartment. Tripping over his feet, Nate threw himself against the door, startling Elena. "Okay, I did steal from Pierce," He answered. "You know that jade statuette of the Geisha, in the bedroom?"

Elena nodded, never taking her eyes off the door way. "That's what I stole from him. I had read about it during college, it's supposed to bring the owner a lot good luck or something. I honestly hadn't even thought about it until I saw it sitting in his study, on a desk behind his chair. That was ten years ago; I was helping him smu---"

Elena raised her hand. "I don't even want to know," She said, turning the knob. Reluctantly, Nate moved away from the doorway in compliance to her silent request to move. "We'll talk about this when you get back," He said.

"We'll have to, won't we?" Elena muttered as she stepped out of the apartment.


	5. To Catch a thief…

**Five: To Catch a thief…**

* * *

Elena tapped her pen against her chin for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. She stared long and hard at her computer screen, studying the paragraph she just finished writing. In the background, the sound of the office environment was steadily beginning to drown out the train of thought she started out with earlier this morning. She knew offices were a noisy place, but, Elena was trying to complete her story, on a terrorist organization she tracked for six months in South Africa, before lunch.

Normally, it wouldn't take this long, but for whatever reason, Elena found herself unable to concentrate. Frustrated, she placed her pen on the keyboard and pushed away from the desk. Stepping out of the cubical, Elena proceeded down the maze-like path of the office toward the corner kitchen. Maybe a coffee would set her right.

Since her promotion, her boss, David Brahms, had her writing fluff pieces on charity events going on in Los Angles. Actually, it was all he wanted her writing after the flattering piece on the event at Walter's Art Gallery in Baltimore in 2007, about the strange and exotic artifacts the gallery had shipped to them from Burma. "You've got a way of making a incredibly dull subject, like history, into something worth reading, Elena. Especially when it comes to exhibits. No one I ever put on these stories can write them half as good as you. You've found your niche, kid," That's what Brahms told her.

Elena was flattered in the beginning, who wouldn't want to be told their articles were captivating? At the time, she was getting all kinds of insight from Nate, even though she did her own research, for double-checking's sake. However, after things fell apart between herself and Nate, Elena wanted to get as far away from all things ancient and mythological, as she could. All it did was remind her of Nathan, which was the last person she wanted to think about. So, every time Brahms slapped another exhibit assignment on her, she carted it off to someone else, and covered their stories. It got her into a world of trouble with her boss, but the end result was worth it in her opinion.

In the corner of her eye, she spotted Jeff moving toward her. Grabbing a tooth pick, Elena turned as he came to stop. "Hey, Elena," He said.

"Hey, Jeff. What's up?" She asked.

"I, uh, got that thing you wanted. From the van?" Reaching into his messenger bag, Jeff revealed a manila folder. Elena smiled appreciatively at the cameraman as she took the folder from his hand. Tearing the seal, Elena dumped the contents of the folder onto the marble counter behind her. Spread out before her were black and white photographs of Zoran Lazarevic in various locales, she grinned. Picking up the paper behind them, she started to read.

_"My final gift you, Miss Fisher. He'll be heading for India next. _

_Unfortunately, I can't keep tabs on him anymore. I think he knows I'm passing notes. _

_Get there before he does. --- _

_Love, Marco."_

"So, did you get it?" Jeff asked, peeking over her shoulder. Elena folded the paper, a easy smile gracing her features.

"Yep. He's gonna be in India, so we need to move," Elena responded.

"What about Marco?"

"I dunno, he didn't say," Elena put everything back into the folder. Reaching over, she gave Jeff's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You ready for this?"

"I think I'll manage," He chuckled, following her down the narrow walkway.


	6. Brooding Lover

**Six: Brooding Lover**

* * *

Normally, there was little that Nathan Drake could be bothered to complain about. Unless it concerned his particularly shitty lucky (depending on the situation), Nate liked to think he lived a pretty comfortable life, especially given his chosen line of work. Lately though, Nate found himself falling deeper into a strange kind of funk and for the love the God, he didn't seem able to find a way out the ditch he fell into. Rolling over in his bed, Nate reached for the half-empty beer bottle lying idle on his bedside table. Raising his head half way off the pillow, he downed the last of his beer in one gulp. His head flopped back down on the pillow with a groan, his head was killing him. Why did he always insist on giving in to Sully's need for a drinking game every time he came around for a visit? For as long as Nate has known Sullivan, Nate knew he could never drink the man under the table, yet every time, he always tried. "One day, kid, you gotta learn to say no," Sully joked.

"Yeah, that'll be the day," He remembered slurring.

Of course, by that time, he was halfway to passing out from all the beer he consumed within the span of two hours. Nate barely remembered how he got back to his apartment, but he was sure Sully had something to do with it. There wasn't anyone else to help him off the floor, not anymore anyways. I thought we weren't going to do that, Nate? He thought to himself. Careful not to disturb the throbbing in his head, Nate proceeded to climb out of the bed. The woman next to him rolled over on her side, pulling the cover over her head. His toes recoiled at the cold drifting across the floor, wiggling them Drake headed down the stairs.

The apartment was void of any stimulating activity, Drake cast a wary glance over to the corner where the work desk laid bare. Running a hand through his hair, Nate continued over to the fridge, praying he remembered to put the ice pack back inside. "Never again, Sully, you hear me?" He muttered to himself, as he searched the fridge. The ice pack laid stuffed in the further corner next to a expired pack of yogurt, Nate snatched it and proceeded to press it against his head. Ooh, yes, does that feel good. He made himself comfortable on the couch with a sigh, he could feel it in his bones. Today was not going to be good for him.

Shit, the last year hasn't been nice to him. He hadn't been able to think straight after Elena left him; Their break-up was so abrupt, that Nathan wasn't sure if he was stuck in a nightmare. Why the hell did she decide to grow a conscience and label him the bad guy? If I'd known breaking up with her would have this sort of effect, I would've never dated her to begin with. But, no, Nate, you just had to fall for that pretty blonde didn't you? Couldn't say no when she asked you out.

"So stupid," Nate grumbled. Slouching further in the couch, Nate listened to the abstract sounds of the city outside the large window across from where he sat. The fog settled below the near-tops of the buildings, effectively hiding the lower structures. He never really paid the world outside his window much attention before, but now that his apartment seemed hell bent on reminding him of the woman he lost, Nate found himself eager to think of anything except her. When the hell was Sully gonna call him about some pretty artifact that needed stealing?

"Hey, sunshine, why'd you leave the bed?" Nathan shifted his gaze from the window over to the stairs. For a moment, he could've sworn it was Elena, but a quick blink of his eyes rectified that visual error. Standing in the landing of the stairs, wrapped in his blanket, was a raven haired beauty. Oh, yeah, now I remember. Standing up, Nathan tossed the ice pack onto the couch and headed over to the staircase. "Hey, Chloe," He yawned. "...Couldn't sleep. What are you doing up?"

"I got cold, not enough body heat." She grinned. "Come back to bed why don't you?" Chloe tugged playfully at his undershirt. "I promise, it'll more fun than that ice pack." Nathan allowed her to pull him up the stairs, leaning over he grabbed the end of his comforter and followed after her.

"You wearing anything underneath this?"

"Of course not, what sane person wears underwear in their lover's bed?"


	7. When in Nepal

**Seven: When in Nepal**

* * *

"So how'd you get here?"

Elena glanced up from the book she was reading. "Pardon?" She said.

Nathan folded his arms across his chest. "I said, how'd you get here? How'd you even know where to look for me?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders, a sly smile gracing her features. "Easy, I just followed the train tracks and the trail of destruction," Elena explained. Nathan sniffed at her response, Elena seemed oblivious to his suspicion. Careful not to disturb his injury, he stood up from the table and joined Elena at the book shelf. She never bothered to look up from her book when he situated himself right in front of her, instead she continued to read the passage of the final chapter. He hated it when she ignored him like that. Nathan studied the hardwood bookshelf with mild interest, the books varied from age and subject matter, most of them he recognized, then there were some that he he didn't. Regardless, there was no denying Schafer had quite the impressive collection, if he had the time, he would definitely look through some of them.

"So, when did you learn to speak Tibetan?"

"During college. I was dead set on traveling the world, so I decided to brush up my multilingual skills," She closed the book she was reading and put it back on the shelf. "Why don't you speak Tibetan?"

"Never really got around to it," Nathan shrugged. "Didn't think I'd needed to, honestly."

"Really? You didn't?" Elena said.

"Nope," He answered, leaning against the book shelf. They fell silent, Nathan watched as she stood up and proceeded across the room with a sigh. They'd done a good job, so far, of being cordial with each other. If Elena felt as awkward as he was feeling, she did good job of hiding it from him. Scratching the back of his head, Nate scrambled his brain for a subject to restart a conversation. I miss you, please forgive me, didn't seem like the greatest way of getting her to talk. What did he have to be sorry for anyways?

"Hey, Nate?"

"What is it, Elena?"

"How'd you meet Chloe?"

Nate felt his brow wrinkle in dismay at the question. "That is a very long and involved story, suited for another time," He grumbled. Elena turned upon hearing the tone of his voice, unable to hide her coy grin, she titled her head to the side. "We've got until Schafer arrives---"

"Which could be at any moment--- Nate interjected hastily.

"Oh, what are you so embarrassed about?"

"Embarrassed? I never said I was embarrassed!"

"You practically implicated it with your response."

"I did no such---"

"Nate, did she punch you or something?"

"..." Nate looked the other way.

Elena laughed. "Oh, my God, she did!"

"Well, I'm glad you find that amusing. My eye was swollen shut for a month."


	8. Thunderstruck!

**Eight: Thunderstruck!**

* * *

Elena pulled the steering wheel to the right, the truck veered away from the flaming vehicle Nate had hit with the mini-gun mounted to the back of a truck he'd commandeered from Lazarevic's mercenaries. In a flash, the truck exploded and was thrown up into the air from its rear. Elena watched it hit the truck in front of it before rolling off the side of the cliff, somewhere in the background she swore she heard Nate laughing like a madman at his handiwork.

Elena shook her head in bewilderment, pressing her foot on the gas pedal, the truck started to move ahead of the rest. Trying to get to the head truck, where they assumed Schafer was being held with Lazarevic, was harder than she thought it would be. As soon as Nathan's improvising cleared the path to move ahead, two more trucks would flank her front and back, blocking the way. And from the looks of it, they were about to do it again.

"Nate, get these guys off me!" She hollered out the window, nearest to his position. Nathan shoved his opponent over the side of the truck, never bothering to look where he landed and focused his attention back on Elena's truck. The mercs were ramming her, trying to drive her into the wall. Without thinking, he leaped forward, miraculously landing on the front of a passing truck. The driver shouted a warning to his partner in the passenger seat.

Pulling out his gun, Nate fired twice into the windshield, hitting both his targets and proceeded toward the back. The merc in the back grabbed the front of his jacket the second he was close enough. Not one to be manhandled, Nate threw himself forward, his head collided with his opponent's. Stars and multicolored lights danced behind his eyes, sending him off balance. "Ow, shit!" Nate stumbled sideways, the mercenary hit the ground and didn't move again.

"Nate, I could really use some help!"

Stumbling over to the mini-gun, Nate grabbed hold of the trigger and turned the weapon on the truck ramming Elena's vehicle. "Eat this, asshole!" Nate was nearly thrown over the edge of the truck by the power behind the mounted weapon, the mini-gun unleashed a storm of bullets on truck in the rear of Elena's. Using all his upper body strength to keep the gun steady, he aimed for the tires. The wheels exploded, throwing the truck off balance and into the side of the wall. Releasing the trigger, Nate turned to the right and opened fire on the other enemy vehicle. The cry of agony from inside the truck came to abrupt stop when the bullets hit the occupants inside, Nate pointed the gun down and took out the tires. The truck swerved out into the middle of the road, proceeding over the side the cliff.

Easy money, Nate thought. As he prepared to use the mini-gun to his further advantage, the truck he commandeered shuddered violently. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed smoke billowing from the hood of the truck. "That's not good," He muttered, moving away from the mini-gun. Elena seemed to catch on to what he was doing and steered the truck closer to his, Nate pushed away from the edge of the wall, he soared across the gap between the two trucks. He landed in a roll, shoulder slamming hard against the wall of the truck. There was a dull knock above him as he staggered to his feet, steadying himself, Nate leaned sideways in attempt to look inside the truck. "You okay up there?!" Elena shouted. Nate knocked on the hood three times in affirmative. "Drive faster, we've gotta catch up to them!"

Elena felt herself grow hot under the collar at the implication that she wasn't driving fast enough. If she drove any faster, they would probably go flying off the cliff. "Ugh, hang on!" The truck jumped forward as Elena pressed her foot down on the gas, Nate held onto the hood of the car for deal life. The mountain air hit him full on the face, cooling his skin almost instantly.

Up ahead, the remaining convoy of trucks were growing nearer and nearer. Hell, yeah, now they were getting somewhere. "Ha-ha! Yeah, we got---" Nate's triumphant cry faltered on his tongue, the mercenary on the truck ahead of them turned his mounted RPG on their vehicle and prepared to fire.

There was a unanimous "---Oh crap," from both Elena and Nate, the merc fired the RPG, grinning like a maniac. Elena knew there was no way they would be able to dodge the missile in time. Reacting on instinct alone, she turned hard to the right. The wheels twisted violently beneath the frame of the car and locked when they could turn no further, Nate watched with wide eyes as the truck dodged the missile, which missed him by a hair, and proceeded off the edge of the cliff.

For the billionth time that week, his life flashed before his eyes and somehow, by the grace of God alone, he found the strength to jump from the doomed truck and grab a hold of the secondary ledge below. The truck went up in a gorgeous ball of flame, rolling carelessly down the side of the cliff as it did so. Nate watched the burning hunk of metal plummet with wide eyes. "Elena!" Her name felt harsh against his parched throat.

"What?"

"Elena?!" Nate looked away from the spectacle below him, focusing his gaze on the origin on the voice. Standing above him, hands on her hips, was Elena, looking no worse for ware. She stared down at him with curious eyes, face flushed from her ordeal. Anger flashed through his system for a second, but was quickly replaced with overwhelming relief at the fact that she was still alive. Kneeling down, Elena extended her hand to him. "C'mon, cowboy, get up here," She breathed.


	9. I need a compass, draw me a map

**Nine: I need a compass, draw me a map**

* * *

"C'mon!"

Nate watched Elena rush across the tattered bridge toward the monastery, slightly taken aback by her sudden burst of speed. Was it weird that he found himself wishing that Sully was with him instead of Elena, right now? He was more accustomed to leading, not following and it was all the more fun when Sully lagged behind him, complaining about his lost youth and hookers, among other things. Elena's twisted enthusiasm towards this entire situation, made him wonder if was really 29-years-old. She was making him feel at least forty years of age.

Holstering his gun, he proceeded across the bridge, leaping over the broken parts in the ancient structure, muttering to himself as he went along. This entire trip seemed like one huge slap in the face, the kind of slap you didn't see coming. From being double-crossed -- and shot -- by his ex-friend, Harry Flynn, reuniting with Elena and having his daring rescue rejected by Chloe on the train, Nate began to wonder if this stupid "Path to Shambhala" was worth all the misery. Oh, he knew for a fact, why he was still perusing the path --- it was Schafer's dying wish, he wasn't one to deny a man of his dying wish.

Lazarevic would eventually find it, with or without Flynn's help (he didn't strike him as a stupid man in the least) --- but, his original intention, double-crossing his former partner and his loony client, seemed pretty damn stupid now. Typically, Nathan could brush these types of things off with a shrug of his shoulders. El Dorado changed all of that, however. If any the myths behind Shambhala were true, he didn't want someone like Zoran getting his hands on something like immortality ... or instant zombism for that matter.

He wasn't completely heartless, but he knew for a fact that Elena had more to do with his inability to do the right thing more often than he would've. A year and half of living with Elena, Nate found himself doing a lot of things he never would've given a second thought. Like committing wholeheartedly to a relationship. Had he still been involved with Chloe prior to meeting Elena, he probably would've walked away from the entire El Dorado situation a lot easier, regardless of Elena's protests. Hell, he probably would've dragged Elena off the island with him (after he beat the shit of Sully). Chloe just had that kind of effect on him; It was easy to get lost in double-crossing, ditching and "every-man-for-himself" esque behavior.

It was creepy, how much Elena actually made him pause and think, long and hard, about the repercussions of his actions. Her insistence to go through with the John Price story and his sudden overprotective streak, hadn't exactly been the total reason for their split. Not really. It certainly made him think twice, who and where stole from when he was angry though. Elena had nearly attacked him with her suitcases when she found out he'd burglarized Brahms house for a family heirloom a client wanted.

He never realized he'd stepped foot inside Brahms' house until Elena ID'ed the ivory statue of Venus, sitting on the floor next to his maps. Instead physical abuse, she just settled for, "Heartless son of a bitch," and slammed the door behind her, tearing the door knob from the frame in the process.

Sully laughed at him for months afterward and Nate found himself repeating Elena's exact words back at his friend. He would've spent another month or two moping if Chloe hadn't shown up when she did and swept him off his feet (figuratively speaking, here), throwing him back into his old lifestyle. He barely spent a year with her, before dumping her as well. To her credit, she took it a lot better than Elena and never appeared again until Flynn approached him.

"Nate, hurry up!" Elena's voice sounded off in the distance. Nate stumbled across the narrow support beam, using his arms to balance himself out as he rushed across it. Elena was waiting on the other side, waving him over eagerly. He watched her with tired eyes, knowing part of her reason for following him this far, apart from her do-gooder nature, was because of Jeff. Shot dead right in front of her by Lazarevic, without so much as a beat of a remorse. Just by looking at her, Nate would've never figured her as the type to be motivated by revenge, but if the shoe fit...


	10. This isn't easy

**Ten: This isn't easy**

* * *

Chloe lead the way across the dagger shaped bridge, pistols at the ready in case one of those giant blue yeti-men decided to follow them. Nate struggled to keep his balance as he hurried across the uneven ground, he carried Elena bridal-style, her arms were wrapped gingerly around his neck, her head resting against his shoulder. Whether or not it was intentional, Elena's moaning became more an more frequent and Nate found himself slowing up more times he would've liked, afraid he was hurting her with all the movement.

"Nate, hurry up!" Chloe shouted. Nate looked up from Elena's bruised left check, Chloe was already on the other side of the bridge, nearing the entrance. Cursing under his breath, Nate picked up the pace, whispering quiet apologies to Elena as he started to run. He had to be careful about how fast he moved, Elena's weight alone would bring him crashing to his knees, that would do neither of them any good. Especially if they fell off the bridge.

Elena's fingers gripped the collar of his shirt, her nails scratched his skin as she shifted in his arms. "Hang on, Lena, we're almost there," He whispered. Chloe watched silently, urging him on with the constant wave of her hand. She was more than ready to put all of this madness behind her, forget all of it, she only wished Nate would move his fine ass a little faster. Finally, Nate reached Chloe and the two proceeded through the entry room, never sparing the glowing sphere illuminating the room a second glance. Elena cried into his shirt, Nate felt his heart would shatter if she did that again.

The two hunters proceeded up the stairs, observing the shadow of the evening sunlight on the ground outside the doorway, Nate nearly bowled Chloe over when they reached the final stairs. Chloe moved far ahead of him to avoid being run over, she pointed to the stone table in the middle of the ground. Nate hurried over to said location, ignoring the chill creeping over his skin as he did so. Slowly, he lowered his arms from their raised position, Elena made no protests as she was laid onto cool surface. Nate bit the inside of his mouth, Elena was like dead weight in his hands as he steadied her body.

He scanned her face, it was completely still; half way between serene and pained. "Elena?" His voice barely rose above a whisper, his throat throbbed from all the screaming he did earlier. Elena's head rolled to the right, shakily, he raised a hand to check her pulse. Chloe watched him with anxious eyes, the two shared a brief look before averting their gaze back down to Elena. Nate's fingers were pressed lightly against the space of her neck between her jaw line, he waited for the beat of a pulse to hit his fingers, but nothing came. If it were at all possible, Nathan's chest felt like it was caving in on itself. "Elena, wake up," He requested, his voice a little louder.

There was no response from Elena.

"Elena?" He tried again, dragging his hand away from her neck, down her chest. Any other time, he could imagine her slapping his hand away from her breasts and calling him a pervert, which made her lack of movement all the more frightening. He pressed his hand down and waited for her heart to jump up and hit his palm, the longer he waited, the more the image of him standing over her grave danced through his mind.

"Nate..." Chloe's voice was hallow in his ears, he felt her hand place itself overtop his and he flinched. "She's---"

Tears burned the rims of his eyes, knowing exactly what she was trying to tell him. "Don't---" He nearly snapped. It wasn't, it couldn't happen. This was Elena Fisher, when it came to death, she was stubborn as he was. The worse that brought her down was the flu and even then, Elena acted like she wasn't sick, parading around like any normal healthy person. Chloe snaked her fingers around his, trying to pull his hand away from her chest. Nate held his hand down, refusing to be moved.

He wasn't giving up on Elena.


	11. Safe from Harm

**Eleven: Safe From Harm**

* * *

Nate inhaled and exhaled slowly, ignoring the itching in his nose, a direct result of breathing in the thick incense that he lit just a couple of hours ago. It wasn't his favorite, but Elena seemed to like it a lot. And presently, whatever Elena needed or wanted mattered more than any complaints Nate had against anything. Outside, the chaotic sound of city life made him itch for wilderness and the fresh air, unclogged by crowded buildings and smog. Scratching the back of his neck, Nate cast a casual glance over his shoulder.

Elena laid tangled beneath the covers, short hair fanned out across the pillow. Earlier, he woke to the sound of her restless moaning and was slapped in the face by one of her flailing arms. Knowing better than to wake her, Nate decided to light the incense that Tenzin had given him before his and Elena's departure from his village. Little triangle shaped fragments that sat on a Libra replica incense stand that Elena gave him to on his birthday. It took a little while, but she finally calmed down and fell back into a silent slumber.

Nate himself comfortable on his side of the bed and watched the sun rise over the buildings outside. Elena had yet to officially move back in with him, something told him that it would be a while before she got to that point again, but he managed to persuade her into staying over until she was feeling up to going home. He figured he was being clever, especially when Elena agreed without arguing over the subject, she didn't even crack a joke. She fell asleep almost instantly when he carried her up the stairs and put her in the bed. Nathan left the apartment and went to talk to Sully at the bar, proceeding to fill him in more on the details on the entire Shambhala ordeal. When he asked what happened to Chloe, Sully made a crack about her going to Hawaii for a vacation. "She's a big girl, Nate. I'm not her baby-sitter," Sully puffed on his cigar as he spoke. Nate waved the swirling cigar smoke away from his face and ordered himself a drink. I guess Chloe'll show up when it suits her, he mused. After two hours with Sully, Nate called it a night and headed back to the apartment. Elena was still asleep when he dragged himself up stairs, halfway out of his clothes. He stunk like a ashtray, he hoped Elena wouldn't kick him out of bed because of it.

Stretching his limbs, Nate crawled over to Elena's side. She didn't move an inch, Nate watched her expression with a small smile, wanting to do nothing except hold her close. Unfortunately, given her delicate condition, he feared he would hurt her. Carefully, he laid on his back and raised his arm over his head so that it rested on Elena's pillow. There was a small gap between his and Elena's body, her back was still facing him and she was oblivious to the fact that he was --- Nate felt his breath hitch when Elena rolled over and draped her arm across his abdomen. A sly smile graced her chapped lips, Nate felt himself blush when her eyes opened. "Hi," Was all he bring himself to say.

"Hey, Nate," She whispered.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked, grinning.

"Since you woke up," Elena answered smoothly. Nate shifted his gaze, slightly embarrassed. All this time he thought she was asleep and she wasn't? Damn, he was getting rusty. When he said nothing more, Elena moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, Nate lowered his arm and wrapped it around her. "How are you?"

"Better than yesterday, better than last week," Elena relayed, closing her eyes. "Why?"

Nate shrugged, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Just askin'," He murmured, resting his cheek against her forehead.

* * *

**[END]**


End file.
